Check control module issues?

[machintek]

The right tail light (2) and both license plate lights are out. Per the Bentley manual, all of these get power from the CCM using individual wires. I have no power at these wires at the plugs and all the bulbs are good. This per my fluke 87.
Next I tried to use 12 VDC from another bulb. The tail light would still not light up but I saw a small spark. All the other bulbs did light up using this procedure. Maybe a short? So I removed the plug and ohmed each wire with respect to ground. This was really bizarre. The working circuit showed .8 ohms to the CCM. The non working ones showed 2.4 ohms. Can anyone explain this? Thanks.

George
Hoover AL.

[Manolito]

Let's start with the easiest problem and work up from there.

For the license plate lights, pull back the cover from the wire harness that goes through the trunk hinge and check for broken wires. First, the wire breaks inside the insulation so you get an intermittent connection on that wire. Eventually, the insulation breaks and the wires start shorting to each other. At that point, really odd things start happening with the tail lights.

The wires in the trunk hinge area fail because BMW did not use flex wires such as those used in door sills for this application. If you use your trunk a lot, these wires will eventually fail.

Once you get the license plate light problem cleared up, you might get more predictable readings from the other circuits.